


finally, you and me are the lucky ones

by parchmints



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Balcony Scene, Chat Noir!Keith, Fashion Designer Lance, Fluff, Identity Reveal, Ladybug!Lance, Light Angst, M/M, Miraculous Ladybug AU, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Secret Identity, Umbrella Scene (Miraculous Ladybug), international model keith, love square, pining lance, they're both oblivious disasters in love but dont know theyre in love with each other, tikki and plagg are still the miraculous lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2019-07-18 19:42:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16125395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parchmints/pseuds/parchmints
Summary: During the day, Lance is just your average high school student—he goes to class, designs clothes for fun, and has an embarrassingly intense crush on his classmate and international model, Keith Kogane.But at night, Lance is the Miraculous Ladybug—a clever superhero who rids the city of any and all Akumas that might threaten it. He's aided by his good friend and fellow superhero Cat Noir who just so happens to have a not-so-subtle crush on Ladybug.Keeping their identities a secret from each other, Lance doesn't know that Cat Noir might actually be someone from his school life...





	1. Lance/Ladybug

**Author's Note:**

> Ayy! It's a Miraculous Ladybug au! This a birthday gift for [Dani](https://twitter.com/daniwry_) because she loves Ladybug!Lance and Chat!Keith so, of course, I had to oblige! Happy birthday, Dani!! Hope you had a great day!
> 
> 1\. Thank you to [Brigid](https://twitter.com/angst_in_space) for betaing!  
> 2\. This was a little rushed so I didn't get to edit it as thoroughly as I usually like to, but I hope you enjoy regardless!  
> 3\. Title from "Lucky Ones" by Lana Del Rey 
> 
> Enjoy!

**finally, you and me are the lucky ones**

_Chapter One: Lance/Ladybug_

When it came right down to it, the night patrols weren’t really necessary. Akumas rarely showed up in the evenings and if they did, Lance had special notifications set on his phone to alert him.

But there was something freeing about the night patrols, something so incredible about being the miraculous Ladybug and _not_ Lance McClain, at least for a couple of hours. If there was ever a day Lance didn’t want to be himself, it would be today—the day his heart shattered into a million tiny pieces, never to be reassembled and whole ever again.

Because today was the day Lance found out Keith Kogane was in love with somebody else.

Talented, genius, literal— _actual_ —model Keith Kogane: the object of Lance’s pathetic pining for at least a year now, was in love. He was in love and the lucky son of a gun wasn’t Lance.

 

_Lance hadn’t meant to eavesdrop. Really._

_“I’m honestly surprised you don’t have a boyfriend yet,” Lance hears Pidge’s familiar voice say. “You have enough fans.”_

_“That’s not—those people don’t_ know _me, they just…” Keith trails off._

_“Want you for your bod?” Pidge asks, her voice a teasing lilt._

_It’s an accident that Lance is here—hiding underneath the bleachers and eavesdropping on a very private conversation as Keith and Pidge sit above. He had just meant to sneak away for lunch and work on some stitching for his latest project—a black blazer with intricately hand-sewn flowers in the lapel—but, of course, he had gotten himself in another sticky situation._

_Honestly, he knows he should probably just get up and leave, but Lance can’t find it in himself to move his legs._

_Keith groans. “It’s all bullshit, Pidge. It’s just mirrors and smoke and Photoshop. That’s all everyone sees.”_

That’s not what _I_ see _, Lance thinks, clutching his blazer to his chest._

 _“It’s not_ me _,” Keith continues. “Dating a fan would be...a disaster. I’d only disappoint them.”_

_And Lance aches for him. He’s always known Keith has had it hard with his overprotective mother and unfairly busy schedule, but hearing Keith say all this makes him want to reach out and hold his hand, more so than usual._

_“Keith, you wouldn’t disappoint anyone. But yeah, I guess dating a fan is a bad idea. Still, there’s a bunch of guys at our school—”_

_“I told you, Pidge. I’m not—I’m not interested in dating, even if it would get some of my fans off my back.”_

_“Why not?”_

_“Because.”_

_“‘Cause why?”_

_Keith growls. “_ Pidge. _”_

_“What! I’m just sayin’ man. Your stalkers have been totally out of line lately, so maybe if you got yourself a boyfriend, they’d stop being so interested. You could even do the whole fake dating thing, or whatever.”_

_“I’m not gonna fake date someone.”_

_“You’re not givin’ me any reasons here, man.”_

_Lance’s heart is pounding wildly in his chest. Hearing Keith talk about love, talk about his_ fans _and how he’d never date a_ fan _(which Lance undoubtedly is according to all the Keith Kogane posters in his room), is slowly and carefully breaking Lance’s heart. He never really thought he had a chance with Keith, but there’s little denying it now._

You’re a fan, but you’re also his friend. It’s different.

_The thought keeps him grounded for now—there’s always hope._

_“Ugh, fine. You wanna know why I don’t want to date someone right now?” Keith asks, annoyed. “I like someone. A lot. I only want to date him.”_

_Lance’s hands clench so tight to his blazer, they start to hurt._

_“Oh. Who?” Pidge asks and Lance doesn’t want to hear. He wishes he had run when he had the chance and never overheard this conversation._

_“You, um...you don’t know him. He’s someone I work with.”_

_And that’s it. Lance’s heart is shattered, pulverized, incinerated, and a whole host of other violent verbs he can’t think of right now because his eyes are stinging with unshed tears and he’s trying to hold them back._

_Because if it’s not someone Keith goes to school with, then it’s definitely not him._

_“Oh, okay! Well then ask him out!” Pidge exclaims, like she’s solved the problem._

_Keith sighs and in a small voice he says, “I did.”_

_There’s a long, drawn out silence that has Lance holding his breath, hoping he doesn’t make a sound._

_“Oh,” Pidge finally says. “And he just...no?”_

_“No. He made it pretty clear. He likes someone else a lot apparently and it’s not me, so.”_

_“Ah, man, Keith, I’m sorry. But, hey, maybe this is a good reason for you to go on a couple dates. Move on, y’know?”_

_“No, I can’t do that. It’s—I don’t even know how to describe it, but I just don’t think this is ever going to go away. I see him almost every day and every day he keeps getting more amazing. Like, he’s so smart and brave and_ caring _, I just—I don’t know. He’s the best person I know, Pidge.”_

 _When Lance thinks there’s no more of his heart left to break, Keith just has to go and prove him wrong. It’s enough that Keith likes someone else, but it sounds like he’s_ in love _with this guy and whoever he is, he...sounds amazing. Like someone who’s good enough to be with Keith Kogane._

_Like the opposite of Lance._

Stop, stop, stop. It’s no big deal. You always knew he was way out of your league. It doesn’t need to be this huge thing.

_But, of course, it was._

 

 

After, Lance went home and cried into his pillow until Cat Noir mercifully signaled him on his communicator for a night patrol. Lance sent back an enthusiastic “yes” and said “spots on” so fast that Tikki might have gotten whiplash. He’ll have to give her double the cookies tonight to make up for it, but Tikki is always so kind, he knew she’d understand. Lance just had to get his mind off of his dashed hopes.

 _The best thing for a broken heart is to stay busy_ , he decides and that’s what he does. He swings from rooftop to rooftop, scouring the streets for any signs of Akumas or Hawk Moth, but he ends up distracted.

Keith is an international model, the son of Krolia Kogane—one of the world’s most renowned fashion designers—so, of course, his face is plastered on every other billboard; his smoldering, violet eyes watch Lance at every turn.

It makes it impossible for Lance to keep his mind off of his heartbreak and he doubts he’ll be able to mask the raw emotion he feels creeping onto his face each time Keith’s stupid, shiny mullet shows up in front of him.  

Lance lands himself on a tall apartment building and sits down on the ledge, sighing. He almost wishes someone would get akumatized because at least then he’d be _forced_ to stop thinking about Keith.

 _You shouldn’t wish for that,_ he thinks, admonishing himself.

_I know, I know._

_Keeping the city safe is more important than a boy._

_I know…_

_Even if he is the most handsome guy you’ve ever seen and his eyes remind you of the night sky and his smile makes you believe in miracles and his—_

“Stooop,” he groans out loud, burying his face in his hands.

This really is the worst. Lance has had a lot— _a lot_ —of crushes before in his life, but never has he so desperately wanted something to come of it than the crush he has on Keith. It’s cheesy and cliché, and he knows that, but he’s always felt that Keith was...well, _the one_.

It was unfair how easy it was to fall in love with Keith. It was like going down a slide, but without ever having to climb up the steps. Lance just _slid_.

At first, Lance had hated Keith when he had shown up at school. He was broody and aloof to everyone, like he thought he was too good to be there with the peasants, and sometimes it even felt like he really was. Keith was good at _everything_ —he got straight A’s, he was an incredible fencer, and was famous for his modeling work. Not to mention he was Krolia Kogane’s _son_ and Takashi Shirogane’s little brother,  and all three of them were legends in the fashion world (a world Lance desperately wanted to be a part of).  

But more than anything, Keith made Lance feel invisible and there was little worse than that.

So, Lance created a rivalry between them and vowed to one-up Keith and his smug, stupidly handsome face any way he could. He studied harder than ever before, spent all his free time drawing up original designs, and challenging Keith whenever he could. Those usually (always) went bad for Lance. When it came to Keith, he just couldn’t compete and he resented him for it.

But then, there was the day in the rain…

 

_It’s cold and raining and Lance is miserable. Normally, Lance loves the rain, loves feeling the fresh water dance on his skin, and loves splashing in puddles, but today, it feels like a cruel reflection of his feelings._

_Earlier that day, he found Keith placing chewed up gum on Lance’s usual seat and when Lance caught him, he saw red. He knew he and Keith didn’t exactly get along but he never expected Keith to stoop so low. He must have heard Lance talking to Allura about the vintage Kaltenecker jeans he found at a thrift shop and wanted to ruin them on Lance’s first day of wearing them out._

_Keith had stumbled and stammered over his words when Lance called him out, but Lance was having none of it. Allura and Lance turned away without a word and found different seats._

_It didn’t sit well with Lance all day. Lance knew he had been less than friendly to Keith the past month since he transferred into their class, but he didn’t think Keith_ hated _him. For Lance, if there was anything worse than feeling invisible, it was feeling hated._

_So, yeah, the rain isn’t doing it for him today._

_And he doesn’t have an umbrella. Perfect._

_He stands underneath the awning of the school’s entrance, hoping the rain will let up soon, but the sky is just as grey and stormy as ever. Lance usually walks to and from school and he doesn’t have any money for the bus, so it looks like he either has to wait for hours or get drenched._

_He sighs and as soon as he does, he feels someone step up beside him._

_He turns to face the visitor and of course,_ of course _, it’s Keith. He’s staring straight ahead into the street, a large black umbrella (probably Versace or something) sheltering his stupid, perfect mullet and Lance has to hold himself back from scowling at him. It’s like Keith’s come to mock him over his lack of foresight at leaving his umbrella at home._

_Keith turns his head, makes to speak, but Lance turns his nose up at him with an indignant “hmph!”_

_Keith doesn’t say anything to that, just lets out a frustrated sigh and steps out into the rain._

_“Look, I know you hate me, but,” Keith starts, sounding meeker than Lance has ever heard him. “I was trying to get the gum_ off _your seat. James put it there.”_

_Keith looks back at him and Lance stares back with wide eyes._

_“Sorry, I’m not—I’m not great at the whole_ friends _thing. This is the first time I’ve ever gone to school so it’s all kind of new to me, but um,” Keith continues, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “I’ve been meaning to tell you. I saw your entry in my mom’s competition and the jacket you designed was...really good. You’re really talented. I hope you win.”_

_Keith gives him a shy smile and Lance’s heart flies to his throat, making it impossible for him to say anything. Keith looks out to the street, sees his ride, then turns back to Lance._

_He takes a step towards him and offers Lance his umbrella. “Here.”_

_“Wha—no! I mean, I couldn’t—I—” Lance stammers, but Keith just rolls his eyes and all but shoves the handle in Lance’s palm. Keith’s fingers brush the back of his hand for the briefest of moments and Lance shudders at the touch._

_Keith is still smiling softly at him and Lance can’t breathe. He can’t take his eyes off Keith’s strangely colored irises—they’re dark, not black or brown, but a blueish, purplish hint instead. A deep indigo. Lance wishes he could bottle the color, turn into a dye, make an ornate three-piece suit with it and tailor it special for Keith just so he can see the color in his eyes pop even more._

_They’ve been staring at each other a little too long and Keith’s small smile starts to fade as he looks like he’s about to say something, but Lance never hears it because his borrowed umbrella chooses that exact moment to snap shut on Lance and engulf his upper body._

_Lance gasps and feels his ears go red. He wishes the umbrella would just swallow him whole and let him die because he’s never going to survive the mortification he feels._

_And then, beyond the curtain of the black umbrella, he hears_ laughter _. And it’s not mocking or malicious in any way; it’s just genuine and full and_ sweet _._

_It’s such an enchanting, beautiful sound that Lance emerges from the umbrella to catch a glimpse at its source. When he does, all of his fantasies of dying whoosh away because he’s never been more grateful to be alive in his entire life._

_Because Keith is_ laughing _, really laughing, like Lance has never seen him laugh before. His eyes crinkle at the corners, his head is thrown back, and he’s clutching at his stomach, gasping for air. It’s infectious, so Lance laughs too._

_Their laughter finally quiets and Keith gives Lance one last beaming smile. Lance’s stomach twists and drops like he’s on a rollercoaster._

_“See you tomorrow?” he asks._

_“Yeah, tomorrow.”_

_Lance watches Keith walk to the fancy black car as his chauffeur holds the door open for him and he gets in. Lance’s breath is still caught in his throat._

_“Wow…” he breathes, letting out some of the trapped air._

_By his ear, he can hear Tikki giggling at him._

 

It was a fast, inevitable descent into the head-over-heels, moon-and-stars, every-cliche-you-can-think-of kind of love from there. They became friends after that. Lance still challenged him constantly, but their rivalry became a lot... _softer_ since. The more Lance found out about Keith, the more he fell. He realized Keith _wasn’t_ broody or smug, just shy and awkward. He learned about his past—how his father had died and left him and his mother heartbroken, how his mother was overprotective and kept him from public school for most of his life, how he just desperately wanted to make friends and be _with_ people. He was someone who saw the bigger picture, wanted to help people when he could, and the first person to offer help when the opportunity presented itself. He was just... _good_.

And Lance didn’t let himself think this often (because if he’s honest, he’s always known Keith is way out of his league), but sometimes on the days they laughed together, Lance thought that maybe, _maybe_ he had a shot with him.   

But he was wrong.

Lance sighs again and blinks back the tears stinging his eyes.  

“ _Someone’s_ sleepin’ on the job,” says a voice from behind him. Lance blinks rapidly, determined to hide any traces of water, and turns to his partner-in-crime-fighting—Cat Noir.

Cat Noir leans a shoulder against a brick chimney, crosses his arms across his broad chest, and gives Lance a roguish smile.

Lance rolls his eyes but smiles back. “I was just giving you a chance to catch up, kitty cat.”

“Ugh, I thought we agreed on ‘Cat’ and ‘Bug’, unless you want me to start calling you ‘ _My Lady_ ’ again?”

“No no no no no no no—!”

“Or ‘Bugaboo’? I always liked ‘Bugaboo’.”

Lance’s face goes as red as his costume. “I get it, I get it! Cat it is!”

Cat’s smirk deepens at his victory and Lance momentarily muses that he’s probably really handsome under that black mask, especially if the cut of his jaw is anything to go by.

Cat slinks over, all grace and ease, and sits down next to Lance, leaning back on his hands as he sighs.

“See anything?” he asks.

“Naw, pretty quiet night. You?”

“Same. Though I did see two racoons fighting over a half-eaten burger.”

“Did you break it up?”

“What?! Are you _crazy_? Racoons are psychos! I ran out of there as fast as I could,” Cat says, throwing up his clawed hands for dramatic effect. It tickles a laugh out of Lance before he can stop himself. Cat’s usually so calm and cool that watching him get riled about something, even when he isn’t serious, is really funny.

“You’re so stupid,” Lance says fondly. When he looks back up, Cat is staring at him with a soft smile and even softer eyes. Lance’s chest tightens.

“You laughed.”

“Uh, yeah. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Something’s wrong,” he says simply. Lance opens his mouth to protest but Cat puts a hand up to stop him. “I can tell. You’re not as... _bright_ as you usually are.”

Lance feels himself blush again. It’s moments like these that he remembers how much Cat _notices_ him, pays attention to him. It’s not something Lance is used to and it always gets him flustered.

“That’s—I’m _fine_.” Cat shoots him a look and Lance knows he won’t be getting off that easy. “It’s just...y’know, alter-ego stuff.”

Cat cocks his head to one side like a...well, _cat_ and furrows his brows in thought. “Alright, then just skip the details and give me the basics if you’re worried about our identities.”

Lance bites his lip. In all honesty, he’d love to talk to Cat about this, but he knows if he does, Lance will only end up hurting him.

Because Cat Noir is in love with him—Ladybug.

Lance has known for a while, Cat has said as much, but it’s only been recently that he found out Cat _meant_ it. He always took Cat for someone who enjoys flirting for fun, like Lance does when he’s out of costume, but apparently, it’s how he really feels.

And Lance loves Cat, he really does. They’ve been through so much together—fighting Akumas, outsmarting Hawk Moth, and protecting each other through it all. He’d jump in front of a bullet for Cat, no doubt about it, but—

But he’s not Keith.

Telling Cat about his own dating woes would only cause him pain—the _same_ pain Lance feels right now—and Lance wouldn’t wish that on anybody, let alone his closest friend.

“Cat, I can’t.”

Cat’s eyes narrow with worry. “Why not?”

“Just—I’m—” Lance stammers. The problem with lying to Cat is that he can’t get away with it; Cat knows him too well.

Sighing, Lance runs a hand through his hair.

“Bug,” Keith says. It’s just Lance’s nickname, but it packs a punch as it tries to lure the story out of him with genuine concern.

“I don’t think you want to know,” Lance says, hoping it’s just vague enough that it won’t hurt him, but direct enough that he’ll take the hint.

Cat stares at him like he’s trying to solve a puzzle and then, like a light bulb has just flicked on in his mind, his eyebrows shoot up into his hairline. They float back down quickly as Keith’s face fades into a small, sad smile and he looks out to the city’s glittering lights.

“Oh, I get it,” he says, and Lance curses himself for not keeping his dumb mouth shut. “It’s the guy you like, right? And you don’t want to hurt my feelings.”

 _I barely said anything and he saw right through me_.

Lance stands up and readies his yo-yo. “It’s late, we should head home.”

“Bug, c’mon, we can talk—”

“Cat,” Lance says in warning. “I appreciate it. I really do, but I...I don’t want to talk about it. Get home safe, okay?”

Lance is off the roof and swinging in the air before Cat can so much as utter a word.

 

 

* * *

 

Lance tries to sleep, but he can’t. His brain is too full of Keith and Cat Noir—a  horrible mix of heartbreak and guilt festers in his chest like an infected wound and makes the idea of slumber laughable. He holds an extra pillow close to his chest and closes his eyes, praying for the sweet release of sleep and dreams that let him forget, even if it’s just for a little while, that two of the most important relationships in his life are hurtling towards ruin.

 _What am I going to do?_ he wonders as he sits up and slides on a pair of slippers.

When it comes to Keith, Lance assumes the solution is pretty simple—live with the pain and get over it. Move on. Date other people. Whatever.

But Cat...Cat is harder. Lance can’t give him space or stop working with him; they’re _partners_. They need each other to save the city. Cat is always going to be a part of Lance’s life, no matter how much it might hurt him.

When he thinks about it that way, he thinks—out of everyone—it’s Cat who has it the worst. At least once Lance graduates from high school he can vow never to see Keith Kogane again and forget about him.

 _He probably doesn’t feel the same way about you as you do for Keith_ , he tells himself. It was hard enough accepting Cat’s confession as real, but believing someone is actually madly in love with him? Near impossible.

_You’d be easy to get over anyway._

He sighs and tries to shake away the thought. _That’s not helpful._

Deciding he needs some air, Lance grabs his ( _handmade_ ) blue robe from the closet and goes out to the little balcony that connects to his room. It’s a clear, crisp night and lights twinkle along the city, almost like a reflection of the stars above. Lance leans on the rusted handrails and squishes his cheek into a clenched hand, staring out. He lets out another forlorn sigh.

“Wow, you sound as lovesick as me.”

Lance’s eyes widen and he whips his head around so fast that he almost throws his neck out. Above him, sitting smug on the roof with a delighted smirk on his face is Cat Noir.

“Cat—! What are you—were you _peeping_?!”

Lance knows he wasn’t, but he can’t help but feel satisfied over Cat’s cheeks growing red.

“Of _course_ not. I was patrolling and saw you. Thought I’d drop by and say hi to my old friend...Lance, right?”

Lance gives him a flat, unamused look. “Gee, thanks, _pal_. But yeah, it’s Lance.”

“We’ve met before right? When that Akuma tried to take you hostage?”

Lance winces. The last thing he wants to think about right now is the time one of his classmates got Akumatized after he rejected her confession.

Cat must catch on he’s said something wrong because he clears his throat and says, “I remember because you were, uh, really brave.”

“Oh, thanks,” Lance says, giving him a little smile. “Not every day I get to play hero with the famous Ladybug and Cat Noir.”

Cat comes down from the roof to sit on the handrails next to Lance, balancing himself on the thin bar like it’s nothing.  

“I don’t like that part about it,” he says, looking out into the lights.

“Playing hero?”

“No, the ‘famous’ part.”

Lance’s eyebrows slowly raise and he tries to read the expression on Cat’s face—it’s more serious than he’s ever seen it as he stares ahead.

“I always thought you enjoyed that,” Lance starts. “Being in front of the cameras and stuff. You always look like you’re having fun.”

Cat shrugs. “I _am_. I like my powers and I like taking down Akumas and protecting the city but I just wish it didn’t have to be news all the time.”

Lance shakes his head, then furrows his brows, thinking. This isn’t something he’d expect from Cat Noir; never once has he felt like the news crews made Cat feel uncomfortable.

“But you always smile for them.”

“Old habits die hard, I guess. And part of it is that I’m so happy to be _out_ and doing something that I don’t even mind. It’s not until later, when I see myself on TV that I do.”

Lance hums because he’s felt similarly. The press has caused trouble for him on more than one occasion and he’s definitely caught himself wishing that they could just save the city under the radar.

“What is it about being Cat Noir that makes you so happy, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Cat shoots him a wry smile with a twinkle in his eye. “For someone as handsome as you? I don’t mind at all.”

Lance’s lips pull tight and his cheeks flare up at the line. He quickly turns his face away from Cat and scoffs. Where did he even get a line like that? It sounds like something he’d use on Keith.

“If you’re going to answer the question, then answer the question,” Lance says, clearing his throat, still flustered. Cat exhales an amused “heh” and slides off the rail to stand next to Lance, his arms folded on the railing as he looks up at the stars.

“I love how _free_ I feel when I get to be Cat Noir. I don’t get to make a lot of my own decisions when I’m—when I’m _not_ Cat, so...I don’t know. I can just...go wherever I want, hop from rooftop-to-rooftop, y’know? I don’t feel trapped. I like helping people too. It feels a lot more important than my uh...day job.”

“So, does that mean you feel trapped when you’re _not_ Cat Noir?”

Cat shrugs again. “I have a lot of responsibilities. A lot of expectations to meet. Everyone wants me to be this one thing. Except Ladybug,” he says, voice getting soft as his eyes float down to the town below. “He’s the one person who sees me for who I am and isn’t disappointed. Probably why I fell in love with him.”

The muscles in Lance’s chest clench tightly and the fading blood in his face rushes back to his cheeks. He places his palm over the bottom half of his face to hide it as much as he can. Why was Cat always so direct?

“Y-you shouldn’t say that stuff so lightly,” Lance says.

“I’m not. I mean it.”

Lance’s chest clenches harder.

“Wait, like for real, for real? You’re in love with Ladybug?” Lance asks, taking a step back from the railing to turn towards him.

Cat continues staring at the city, but nods. “For real, for real.”

Lance clutches one hand around the railing and his knuckles go white with how hard he’s holding on. _He means it. Cat really means it._

“Why are you telling me this?” Lance asks, softly.

Cat looks to him then—eyes gentle and curious.

“Because he doesn’t love me back,” Cat says simply and Lance feels his stomach bottom out. “And when I saw you, it felt like I was looking in a mirror. You’re in love with someone too, right?”

Cat’s eyebrows quirk in question and Lance stares at him for a moment, a little surprised at how observant he is. He’s always known Cat to have tunnel vision—his eyes always focused ahead, not bothering with the details, and yet he can tell Lance is heartbroken with just a glance. It’s strange.

Lance turns back to the railing, mirroring Cat’s position. “Must be something in the air.”

“Yeah.”

They watch the stars in silence for a little while, Lance’s heart a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. He hates causing Cat pain, but he’s also really happy and flattered someone feels that way about him, but it feels _wrong_ to be happy about something that causes Cat pain. It’s a horrible cycle Lance can’t seem to resolve at all.

Most of all, Lance wishes he could alleviate some of the hurt he’s inadvertently causing Cat. He’s always cared deeply for him—Lance might even consider him his best friend—so being incapable of giving Cat what he wants... _sucks_. He wants to be a good friend and help somehow, but he doesn’t—

It hits Lance. Since Cat is in love with Ladybug, not _Lance_ , then maybe he can at least lend Cat his shoulders to cry on. They can help each other! Lance has no one to talk to about this who will truly understand and from what Lance can tell, that’s the whole reason Cat is here in the first place.

Lance turns his head to look at Cat and smiles. “You’re kind of amazing, Cat Noir.”

“Yeah?” Cat asks, looking over with another flirty grin. Lance’s face heats up just a bit, but he continues on.

“Yeah. Like, you obviously have a lot on your plate in your daily life with lots of people depending on you, but then you spend all your free-time saving people. I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty amazing to me. You definitely don’t disappoint.”

As Lance speaks, Cat’s cheeky smile falls while he listens and he seems to study Lance, hanging onto every word. There’s an awkward silence as Lance finishes, both of them looking at each other intently. For a moment—just a moment—Cat moves in closer to Lance, but he turns away quickly, as if yanked back by the ears.

“I—um, thank you. That’s...thank you,” Cat says and Lance is pretty sure he can see some redness blooming right below his black mask.

“Yeah, of course,” Lance says. “Heroes need pep talks too sometimes.”

Recovered, Cat looks back at Lance, cradling his chin in a gloved hand. “Alright, and what about you?”

“What about me?”

“The person you’re in love with. They don’t love you back?”

“Oh,” Lance says, heart leaping to his throat before it plummets. “No. No, he doesn’t.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“I’m not,” Cat says and, suddenly, he’s _very_ close—so close that when Lance looks up, they’re nose-to-nose. Lance’s eyes widen and his breath hitches low in his throat. “I think you’d be really easy to fall in love with.”

“I—I don’t know about that,” Lance says so low only they can hear and for some horrible reason, he’s eyeing Cat’s— _Cat’s!_ —lips, only inches away from his own.

“I do and you would be. Without a doubt,” Cat says and Lance is sure he’s coming in to kiss him, slowly and steadily closing in until, at last, he swerves and places a lingering kiss to Lance’s cheek.

If Lance was getting red before, he’s absolutely scarlet now.

Cat pulls away easily with a smile on his face and Lance places a gentle hand over his kissed cheek, his eyes wide. Cat’s smile fades and a look of worry and guilt colors his expression.

“Sorry, was that not okay?” he asks.

Lance, a little stunned, takes a second to answer. “Oh! Um, no. No, it was okay. You just caught me by surprise.”

Cat’s smile returns and Lance decides it’s a look on Cat he much prefers.

“I mean it, though. This guy, whoever he is, he’s an idiot because you’re amazing too. You’re always helping your friends and you help your parents at the bakery, right? So, I mean…” Cat says.

Lance blinks. “How do you know all that? Do we know each other?”

“I—! No! I just—I just follow Hunk’s Bug Blog, that’s all! You show up a lot.”

“Oh. Oh, yeah, I guess I do.”

Cat coughs, looking nervous. “I should um, I should probably go and let you sleep—” He

says, making to dash off, but Lance surprises them both by grasping his hand.

“Wait!”

Cat turns to look back at Lance, his eyes wide and flicking back between meeting Lance’s and their clasped hands.

“I just—” Lance starts, his cheeks heating once again. “Before you go, I just wanted to say that you’d be really easy to fall in love with too and Ladybug’s crazy.”

And Ladybug _is_ crazy because Cat is great. He’s brave and smart and funny. He’s compassionate, but also protective and serious when he needs to be. He feels for Ladybug more than anyone has ever felt for Lance before and that...that _means_ something to Lance. And Lance can see it—he can see how easy it would be to fall for Cat Noir if only he wasn’t so deeply in love with Keith. It would be easier than breathing to fall in love with someone like him.

Cat is struck at first—mouth gaping and eyes unblinking, but slowly, his face softens into something sweet and fond as he squeezes Lance’s hand.

“Thanks, Lance. I mean it.”

Lance smiles back. “Yeah.”  

“You know, you actually really remind me of Ladybug.”

“I—uh, why?! We’re nothing alike! Are you calling me crazy?” Lance stammers before falling into a manic, awkward laugh. Cat cocks his head and narrows his eyes, but ends up laughing too.

“ _No._ He’s just—Ladybug is the best person I know and you’re...you’re like that.”

Lance stares at him, shocked, but unsure why. Cat takes the opportunity to climb onto the railing and pull out his staff.

“Thanks again, Lance. I hope...I hope things work out for you. I’m not exactly sure why, but I feel like they will,” Cat says and with one final smile, he leaps off the balcony and starts bounding across rooftops into the night.

Lance can only stare out after him.

What was it that Keith had said?

 

_“He’s the best person I know, Pidge.”_

 

The words come easily since Lance has replayed that conversation over so many times in his head he has it memorized and he gasps. _No, no it must just be a coincidence. That’s a common thing to say about someone you love, isn’t it?_

But in his heart, he knows he isn’t sure.

Because when he thinks about it, even the way they _said_ it sounded familiar—tone, inflection, timbre—all so, _so_ similar, maybe even identical.

_There’s no way._

Because if there is, that would mean…

_No._

It means...

_It can’t!_

But it can and Lance can’t stop the thought once it worms its way into his brain. And he has no idea how to deal with this scenario.

Because in no world did he ever think it was possible that Cat Noir is also Keith Kogane.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Keith/Cat Noir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to [Paria](https://twitter.com/laallomri) and [Brigid](https://twitter.com/angst_in_space%20rel=) for betaing!

**finally, you and me are the lucky ones**

_Chapter Two: Keith/Cat Noir_

 

Since meeting Ladybug, Keith’s heart has shattered and reformed a hundred times. Each time that he feels the delicate glass of its walls melding back together he thinks, _This is it, this is the time I become invincible._ It’s only fair, right? How many times can he be reminded that Bug doesn’t love him before his foolish heart gets the message?

After heartbreak #101, it still hasn’t received the memo.

It’s not Bug’s fault. He knows that and Bug has always done all he can to be careful with Keith’s feelings. Despite that, he’s angry. What’s the use of loving someone so deeply if you can’t do anything with it? Where is all that energy supposed to _go_?

He has school, Korean lessons, fencing lessons, modeling, and piano as outlets, but nothing drains him of the ardent, consuming need to see Bug. To see him smile. To hear him laugh. To feel him in his arms.

“Mr. Kogane, am I boring you?”

Keith blinks. A sharp, bony elbow is jabbed into his side.

“Ow,” he says, glaring at Pidge before addressing Iverson. “Sorry, sir. Just a bit tired.”

“Well, _wake_ up. I’m not going to review this a third time.”

“Yes, sir.”

Everyone in the class has turned around toward the back of the room where Keith is seated. Everyone, that is, except Lance. He sits in the front row next to his best friend, Hunk, and he stares directly at Iverson like he’s missed Keith’s embarrassing callout altogether. There was a time where Lance would have delighted in Keith being humiliated, but he can’t get Lance to look at him, let alone _laugh_ at him.

Keith’s been trying all day. He greeted Lance before class, but he gave Keith only a brief, eye-contactless hello. Keith tried again during their break, but Lance slipped away before he could talk to him. Maybe Keith is being paranoid, but he’s starting to think Lance is avoiding him.

And that? That hurts worse than he knows how to deal with.

Lance doesn’t know Keith is Cat Noir, of course, but being avoided after their conversation last night has Keith clenching his jaw. Keith has always had a hard time connecting with people—a side effect of an overprotective mother and little chance to interact with others as a kid—so when they talked last night it _meant_ something to Keith. It was nice knowing he wasn’t alone. It was nice being told he was lovable. It was nice being with Lance.

Lance is nice.

He’s competitive and loud and his ego is the size of the Eiffel Tower, but he’s nice. Kind. He’s always helping his friends feel better after breakups, studying with them after they got a bad grade, or bringing homemade macarons for the class to share. He’s helped Keith more than once—hiding him from paparazzi, convincing his mom to give him a bit more freedom, actually _challenging_ him instead of worshipping him like everyone else does.   

Lance helped Keith last night, without even knowing it. Lance doesn’t even know Cat Noir, but he didn’t think twice about trying to comfort him. That’s not something Keith is soon to forget.

After class, Keith is determined to try again. He’s not sure exactly what he’s hoping to accomplish, but Keith is a creature of instinct and his instincts are all shoving him toward Lance.

Hunk and Lance are standing by the classroom door sharing a joke. They both let out loud belly laughs that make their eyes crinkle and their heads fall back. It’s a warm tableau and Keith is effortlessly charmed by it. He thanks the stars that his mother let him come to this school. It’s so much better being with _people_.

“Hey, guys,” Keith says, hoping he doesn’t come off too awkward. He’s been in school long enough to not seem intimidating to everyone, but he’s not great at it.

Hunk beams at him. “Hey, man! You headin’ home?”

“Yeah, Shiro’s probably out front waiting for me.”

“Oh, cool.”

A stiff silence falls on the three of them when it’s clear Lance should acknowledge Keith’s presence but doesn’t. Instead, he clutches his blue binder close to his chest and stares at the ground.

“Lance?” Keith asks, prodding. Lance bristles at his name and his eyes dart in Keith’s direction before they find the floor again.

“Hey, Keith,” he says, quiet. Unlike him.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, no. Yeah. Yeah, everything’s cool,” Lance says, still not looking at Keith. “Sorry, I, um—I gotta go. I’ll see ya!”

And he’s gone, practically leaving a puff of smoke behind him.

Keith’s hurt must be plain on his face because Hunk gives him a sympathetic look.

“Did I do something wrong?” Keith asks, his stomach already bottoming out.

Hunk shakes his head. “Naw. He just—I’m not exactly sure but I know he’s having a rough day. I’m sure it has nothing to do with you. You’ll see, he’ll bounce back in a day or two.”

Keith isn’t feeling so optimistic, but Hunk knows Lance better than anyone, so for now, it’ll have to be enough. He nods.

“Thanks, Hunk. I, um, I hope he feels better soon.”

“Me too.”

 

Despite Hunk’s reassurances, Keith still feels like he’s being sucked into a wormhole. First, the love of his life doesn’t love him back and second, someone he was starting to get close to is pushing him away. What is he doing _wrong_?

He texts Shiro and tells him he needs to study in the library for an hour. Keith’s mother insists Shiro take Keith right home after school, but Shiro’s a softie and gives Keith some leeway when he can. He takes advantage of it by skulking off to the boy’s locker room. He just wants to be by himself for a while without having to be alone in his big lonely house.

The locker room is empty, everyone already having grabbed their things and gone home, and Keith lets out a sigh of relief.

He goes to one of the showers that no one ever uses and pulls the curtain so he’s alone in the little stall. His back slides against the saffron tiles until he’s seated on the ground, his knees folded into his chest. He wraps his arms around his knees and places his forehead to the top of them, then just _breathes_.

The past twenty-four hours have left him drained. Keith has never had many people in his life, always being cut off from the outside world aside from the small circle of his mother’s employees, so he knows he’s awkward with others. But over the past year, he thought he was getting _better_. He thought being Cat Noir and fighting with Ladybug at his side was helping him. He thought going to a public school for the first time in his life was opening him up. He thought he was getting better at _people_ , but after Ladybug’s 101st rejection and Lance’s odd avoidance, he just feels like a failure. Like something about him is unfixable. Maybe in order to be lovable, you have to have friends all your life. You can’t just jump in sixteen years late to the game and expect to win every match.

Keith is about to spiral further into his pathetic pity party when the locker room door opens with a loud **THWACK** against the tiles.

“Ow, Hunk, stop shoving!”

“No way, man. We need to talk.”

Lance. Hunk. Keith stiffens at Hunk’s tone. Hunk is usually such a happy-go-lucky guy that it’s jarring to hear him speak with genuine annoyance in his voice.

“God, Hunk, _what_?” Lance says. It’s affronted but Keith can hear a slight quiver in it, his normal bravado wavering under Hunk’s admonishments.

Keith knows that now is probably the best time to come out of his hiding spot, to give Hunk and Lance some privacy for, what sounds like, is going to be a very personal conversation.

But he doesn’t. He can’t bring himself to stand, to leave the safe little cocoon that is the school shower. He’s not sure if it’s his fatigue, sadness, or insatiable curiosity that roots him to the spot, but whatever it is, it’s not letting him go. He sits as still as a grave and tries not to breathe.

“What was that?” Hunk asks.

“What was _what_?”

“You know what.”

Lance goes silent for a long while. Eventually, though, he speaks. “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about—”

“Don’t give me that. You totally snuffed him, dude.”

“I didn’t—”

“You did. You should have seen Keith’s face. He was hurt.”

Keith’s eyes widen at the mention of his name. His stomach twists with embarrassment. Was he truly that easy to read? If he was ever going to reveal himself, he definitely can’t now. The embarrassment fades then into a frantic nervousness that has his heart pumping wildly. It’s scary knowing you’re about to hear what made someone start hating you.

“He was?” Lance asks, and his voice is small, maybe even shameful.

“Yes, Lance. Most people would be hurt if their friend treated them that way,” Hunk says, and despite the harsh truthfulness to it, it’s still gentle.

Lance groans. “I wasn’t trying to do that.”

“Well, then, what _were_ you trying to do?” Hunk asks.

“Nothing. I don’t know. It’s complicated.”

Keith’s eyebrows go up to his hairline. He’s filled with relief because at least it sounds like Lance doesn’t hate him, but what in the world could be complicated about their relationship?

“Did something change?” Hunk asks.

Keith finds himself leaning in. Lance is silent again for long, torturous seconds.

“Sort of, yeah.”

Keith sorts through his recent memories. He doesn’t remember anything changing between them.

“Wait, oh my god, Lance. Did you _tell him_?”

Tell him? Tell him _what_?

“No, no. He doesn’t know. It’s...it’s really hard to explain, Hunk.”

Keith wants to scream at them. He probably shouldn’t complain since he’s shamelessly eavesdropping but he’s eavesdropping on a conversation about _himself_. That counts for something, doesn’t it?

“But is that what this is about?” Hunk says. “Are you—I don’t know—trying to get over him or something?”

Keith does a double-take. _What?_

Lance laughs and it’s not the loud, warm sound Keith has come to expect from a Lance laugh. Instead, it’s cold and humorless. Defeated.

“No, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do that…”

Wait, _what?_

Lance continues. “I found out something yesterday. That’s all.”

“And that is?” Hunk asks, his tone leading.

“He—” Lance hesitates and Keith has half a mind to leap out of the shower to better hear him. “He’s in love with someone else.”

 _Someone else_.

Keith’s heart stops. There’s only one reason why anyone would tack on the word “else” to that sentence. Keith’s throat goes dry and he tries to swallow, but can’t. In a rush, everything Lance said to Cat Noir last night floods into Keith’s mind.

 

_“You’re in love with someone too, right?”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“The person you’re in love with. They don’t love you back?”_

_“Oh. No. No, he doesn’t.”_

 

 _It’s me_ , Keith realizes and he feels dizzy even though he’s sitting down. _Lance is in love with me._

Keith’s stomach twists so violently he’s worried he’ll throw up. He saw Lance last night on his balcony wearing the most melancholy expression he has ever seen on his face and Keith knew he had to speak with him.

But the entire time it was _Keith_ who was hurting him.

Hunk’s voice rings out in an apologetic coo. “Aww, buddy. Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Lance says, but there’s something hesitant in the words, something contradictory.

“How’d you find out?” Hunk asks, which immediately sparks Keith’s interest.

Yeah, how _did_ Lance find out?

“Uhh, well yesterday I might have been working on my jacket under the bleachers and Keith and Pidge _might_ have started talking on them without realizing I was there and—”

“ _Lance!_ ”

Oh. Yep. Yeah, that’ll do it. It all fit now. Keith accidentally broke Lance’s heart because Lance was eavesdropping on him. Part of Keith wants to say “well, whose fault is that?” but another, more immediate part of him reminds him that people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.

Keith feels unbearably guilty. He never wanted to hurt Lance, never once had the intention of doing so. For the first time, Keith truly understands how hard it must be for Bug to have a friend love him without feeling it in return.

And he understands Lance now, too. Keith can’t exactly blame him for trying to keep his distance. Keith loves Ladybug and honestly? The sooner Lance gets over him the better. His heart just isn’t open.

It’s too bad, though. Keith meant what he said last night. Lance _would_ be easy to fall in love with. Keith just...can’t. Not when Bug is all he thinks about. It wouldn’t be fair to even try.

“I’m sorry! It just...happened,” Lance says, genuine.

Hunk sighs, but he doesn’t scold Lance further. “And he said he was in love with someone? Who?”

“I—I don’t know. I mean—you know—” Lance stammers and Keith furrows his eyebrows. Why does he sound like he’s lying?

Keith doesn’t get a chance to investigate further as a chorus of terrified screams tears through the locker room from outside. Hunk and Lance both gasp and Keith can hear them shuffling.

“An Akuma!” Lance says, his voice steady but alarmed. “C’mon, Hunk, we gotta hide.”

Keith is thankful when he hears the bang of the locker room door again and Hunk and Lance rushing out. It would have been awkward to try and transform here after everything he just heard.

He stands and calls out to Plagg and instantly, he’s transformed into the sleek black

façade of Cat Noir. A part of him grateful to not have to think of Lance, Keith opens the nearest  window and jumps into the fray.

 

The Akuma this time seems to be a jilted lover with a cheating boyfriend. She calls herself _Polygraph_ and throws black seismograph lines that electrocute people like lightning, but instead of sustaining burn injuries, those who are hit basically turn into...truth-telling zombies.

“I hate your mother and your poems lack depth!” Keith hears a wife say to her clearly startled husband.

“Amelia!” he gasps.

Keith ignores them in favor of dodging another bolt of black lighting from the akumatized woman above.

“You’ll tell the truth!” she screams from above on top of one of the city buildings. “You’ll all tell the truth!”

“Give it up, Polygraph! You can’t force people to be honest with you. It has to be given willingly or it means nothing at all,” Ladybug says, his yo-yo swinging in rapid full-circles beside him. Ladybug was first on the scene as usual and already protecting the nearby bystanders when Cat Noir came along.

Polygraph lets out a chilling laugh. “As expected from Ladybug. Your whole life is a lie. If you were really a hero, you’d tell everyone who you really are instead of hiding behind that mask!”

That gives Bug genuine pause, but instead of replying, he grits his teeth and turns to Cat. “Do you have a plan?”

“I was hoping you would,” Cat admits.

“I’m getting _bored,_ Ladybug,” Polygraph calls. “How about this—you hand over your Miraculous to me and I won’t make you reveal your secret identity to the whole world?”

“Not a chance!”

“Oh?” Polygraph asks, lifting one zig-zagged eyebrow. “Well, we’ll see how you feel about that once your precious Cat Noir starts airing all his dirty laundry.”

It happens too fast for Cat to even process it. One moment, he’s staring down a bolt of black lightning and the next, there’s a flash of red in front of him.

“Cat!” Bug shouts. He wraps his arms around Cat, shielding him. Before Cat can respond, Bug gasps and Cat feel how his chest pitches forward from the impact of something at his back, bringing them flush together. Bug’s been hit.

“Bug, what are you doing?” Cat asks, panic rising in his chest. Bug pushes himself away and stares at Cat with big eyes, his blue irises replaced by onyx rings instead.

“I was protecting you. I didn’t want you to get hurt. I don’t ever want you to get hurt.”

_Oh no._

Polygraph laughs shrilly from her high place once again, but Cat ignores her and clutches Bug’s shoulders.

“Bug, don’t talk. Don’t say anything, okay?”

“But I have something to tell you, Cat Noir! Or should I say—”

Cat clamps his hands over Bug’s mouth hastily. “No, no, no! You aren’t telling me any secrets today.”

“Come on, kitty cat, you’re next,” Polygraph says and sends another bolt his way. Cat’s ready for it this time and moves both of them out of the way. He still has his hand over Bug’s mouth but Bug’s fighting against it, desperate to divulge all his secrets.

Cat holds on tighter. With no better idea presenting itself, he runs them towards the building that Polygraph stands on and brandishes one clawed hand.

“ ** _CATACLYSM!_ ** ”

He slams his hand against the building and it starts tumbling away, Polygraph screaming as it does. It’s not enough to take down an Akuma but it might be enough to buy them some time.

Cat looks around, desperate to find a place for cover, and sees an alleyway a block down from where they are. It’s not the best, but Cat hopes it’ll be enough to figure out a plan. He drags Bug over as fast as he can. Bug struggles against Cat, trying to free his mouth.

_I need to keep him quiet._

With sudden inspiration, Cat remembers the soft flowing fabric that makes up his cat tail. When they get to the alley, Cat presses Bug against the brick wall, one hand flat on his mouth while he uses the other to unclasp his tail. It’s awkward and feels like it takes forever, but eventually, he gets it and he releases Bug.

“I—” Bug starts, but Cat doesn’t let another word out as he gags with him with his tail, tying it tight behind Bug’s head with a very complicated knot. Bug tries to speak against it, but the words come out a garbled mess and Cat can’t understand him at all.

“Bug. Bug, calm down,” Cat says, but Bug just sends more gibberish his way that sounds _particularly_ rude. “C’mon, you wanna take down Polygraph, right? Nod if yes.”

Bug stills for a moment, then nods.

“Good! Okay, good. Looks like you’ve still got some agency.” Cat scratches at his chin. “Okay, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll untie you and let you say anything you want to me, but you just have to wait until we purify this Akuma. Sound fair?”

Bug bobs his head side-to-side, debating, but eventually, he nods again. Cat sighs with relief.

“Thank you. Do you have a plan? I already used Cataclysm so I don’t have long until I transform.”

Bug gives him a hard look and nods again, then gets out his yo-yo. He flings it up and after a botched cry of “ ** _Lucky Charm!_** ” an object materializes and flashes in Bug’s hands.

* * *

 

One leaf blower, a nearby park swing, and some intense ingenuity on Ladybug’s part later, Polygraph’s Akuma (hidden in her ring) is released and purified.

“Bye, bye, pretty butterfly,” Ladybug whispers after he releases the gag from his mouth and a white butterfly flutters out of his yo-yo.

The world is set back in order—the destroyed buildings are whole again, the truth-telling zombies are back to their senses, and Polygraph is back to being just a normal person with a broken heart.

Cat holds out his fist to Ladybug for their celebratory ritual. Ladybug bumps it with enthusiasm and a smile.

“Thanks for today,” Ladybug says, with a shy shrug of his shoulders. “Not letting me spill all my secrets and all that.”

“Don’t sweat it. I know you’d do the same for me,” Cat says. He tilts his head as Ladybug’s face grows alarmed: his eyes widen and he pales, like he’s just heard a nasty bit of news. “What’s wrong?”  

Bug bites his lip and stutters before saying, “Cat—”

He’s cut off by the sound of their Miraculouses beeping, warning them to hide before their identities are found out.

“We’ll talk later,” Cat says, one foot already a step toward the nearest dark alley.

“Tonight,” Ladybug cries and Cat looks back at him. In Bug’s eyes, there’s an earnestness and fear that Cat’s never seen before. “The usual rooftop, usual time.”

Cat nods and runs, transforming back into Keith just as he slides into the alley.

* * *

 As soon as dusk falls, Keith is out into the night. He tried practicing the piano, doing homework, and working out, but nothing could distract him from 1. Lance and how, inevitably, Keith will have to break his heart or 2. Ladybug and his stony-eyed determination to meet tonight.

Both thoughts have his insides tangled in a mass of anxiety and woe. His thoughts of Lance are obvious—sad and unavoidable—but Bug’s are more complex. Whenever they’ve _needed to talk_ , Keith has found the glass shard embedded in his heart twists even deeper as Bug continues to remind him they can’t be together.

But there’s always the “but”—but, maybe, what Bug wants to talk about tonight is how he’s changed his mind. He loves Cat too. He wants to be with him, wants to not only fight beside Cat but walk beside him—hand in hand.

Cat shakes his head as he traipses over the uneven roofs of the city, pushing off bricks with the balls of his feet and his staff, letting his body gracefully fall to the next chimney and the next. He knows better than to think this way, to let too much light in on his romantic, secretly optimistic heart, but with Bug it’s hard not to think on the bright side. He just has that effect on people.

 _Don’t think about it_ , he tells himself. Instead, he focuses on his body. He puts his attention on the strong, reliable muscles that help traverse the city at a superhuman speed, that launch him up to the smokestacks and give him enough control to fall with style.

If nothing else, being Cat Noir gives him this—a slice of freedom and individuality no one can take from him. He’s himself out here—truly himself—and he wouldn’t give this up for the world, even if giving it up meant he wouldn’t feel the harsh sting of Bug’s rejection. The only reason he fell in love with Bug in the first place is because of the power Cat Noir gave him. Cat lets Keith not only be who he is, but _feel_ how he _feels_. Opens him up. Makes it impossible to hide. He wouldn’t (couldn’t) have fallen for Bug any other way. Keith’s spent so long behind the brick walls that his circumstances built around him that he’s shied away from connections. It’s too easy for people to disappoint you, to let you down, to _leave_ , that Keith would rather have just avoided it all.

He couldn’t do that as Cat and he couldn’t do that with Bug in his trajectory. Keith was an absolute goner the first time they met; he didn’t even have time to close himself off before Bug snuck his way in.

_Whatever he has to say tonight, I’ll survive it._

And he will. He always does. If nothing else, Cat—Keith—is a survivor. Whether it’s akumas or broken hearts, he’ll make it out on the other side.

He lands at their usual spot with the easy grace of his alter ego’s namesake. He’s there far too early because Bug is nowhere in sight and the clock on his staff says it’s twenty minutes before their usual meeting time.

Great. More time to think.

Keith’s always been more of “act now, think later” kind of guy, but when he does get the chance to think, he thinks deep and drives himself crazy. It doesn’t help that Bug was the one to invite him out tonight. The need to know why wiggles in the back of Keith’s mind, like an itch on that one spot on your back that you can’t reach.

Cat’s just about to start doing push-ups and crunches to distract himself when he hears the tell-tale _shwip_ of a yo-yo string.

“Now this is a first,” Bug says, stepping out from behind a chimney with a hand on his hip. “Cat Noir? Getting somewhere _early_?”

“Now, when have I ever been late for one of our dates?” The flirty question slips out without permission and Cat almost regrets it, except Bug is _so_ cute when he’s flustered, and he’s certainly flustered now. It’s the little things.

“We’re not—this isn’t—” Bug sputters, shoulders raised and ears red.

“I know. Just kidding, Bug.”

The admission calms Bug enough that his tension eases. He leans against the chimney. “You always tease me.”

Cat smirks at him. “You make it too easy.”

“Maybe I do,” Bug says with a sweet smile. He looks at Cat, something changing in his expression, searching.

Cat feels his own smile falter as he studies Bug. “What? You’ve been looking at me like that all day.”

“Like what?”

“Like I’m—l don’t know—like you’re trying to see through me or something,” Cat says. He places a hand on the same wall Bug leans on, his fingertips sensitive to the coarse brick. He takes a couple steps towards Bug, who tenses again. Cat stops and stares at the taut muscle in Bug’s collarbone—the skin dark and warm, blemishless and smooth. “It’s like you’re trying to figure out who I am.”

“Cat…”

“I’d tell you, you know? If you asked. I know you think it’s a bad idea, so I don’t, but I’ve always thought—I trust you, so—”

Bug shudders. Actually _shudders_ and Cat can’t imagine what he’s said wrong.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“No, Cat. Don’t. Don’t apologize. You have nothing to apologize for.”

Ashamed, Bug doesn’t look at Cat. Realization hits him. “You’re not telling me something.”

When Bug still won’t meet his eyes, Cat knows he’s right.

Sighing, Bug pushes himself off the wall and takes a step back from Cat. “Just give me a chance to explain.”

Cat feels that tug again—that constant pull in his chest that makes him want to shrink the gap between them when Bug widens it, but he stays put.

“I’m listening,” Cat says, even as he restrains himself from leaning forward.

“Good. That’s good,” Bug says, his hand mussing the curly hairs at the nape of his neck. “Look, I’ve always—it’s always been important to me to keep our identities a secret from each other. But not because I don’t trust you. I _do_ trust you. More than anyone.”

Bug looks Cat dead in the eye, his eyes just as clear and bright as the truth in them. Cat nods to encourage him to continue.

“There’s been so many times where I’ve just wanted to say ‘screw it’ and tell you everything. Like, imagine how great it would be to have each other’s _phone numbers_ , y’know? Cover for each other and all that.

“But there’s always been too much at risk. If one person knows our secret, it’s too easy for another person and another person and another person to know, until, eventually, _Hawkmoth_ knows and then boom! He has my big sister dangling off a building and he’s threatening to drop her unless I give up my Miraculous—”

“Bug—”

“Rambling. Sorry.” Bug shakes his head, paces, and then takes in a big inhale. “You get the point. I wanted to reduce risk wherever I could because I knew people I cared about could get hurt because of me. That included you.”

Cat blinks. “Me?”

“ _Yes,_ you. I’ve had nightmares of you about to be crushed by some crazy Akuma and then I yell out your name—your _real_ name—and then everyone knows and you’re in even more danger before.”

“You wouldn’t do that.”

“You don’t know. I could. It just takes one time, one mistake, and I’ve put your life in danger.”

“Our lives are in danger every time we face an Akuma.”

“But if I say your name, all your loved ones are in danger now too. And just—” Bug huffs and puts his hands up in surrender. “No, I didn’t come here to fight you on this.”

“Then why _did_ you come here?” Cat asks, softer than he means to. It registers as hurt and Bug looks guilty again, his eyes widening as he takes in Cat’s features.

Bug bites his lip again—a nervous habit Cat noticed a long time ago—and grabs at his elbow. He takes a beat and then squares his shoulders, staring down Cat like he’s an Akuma to be vanquished.

“I found out who you are,” Bug says. Grounded. Sure. But Cat has never felt so far from either.

Cat blinks and his brows knit so hard he feels the introductions of a headache.

Because _How_? How could Bug know? He’s never told anyone, he’s always been so careful not to transform while anyone was around.

“You _what_?” Cat says, voice cracking. Bug represses a wince and keep his eyes steady on Cat.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to or anything, but I just sort of...realized.”

“You know. You know I’m—” He stops himself short and redirects. “Wait. No, who do you _think_ I am?”

Bug’s face drains of color. It’s one thing for Bug to admit he knows his identity, quite another to actually _voice_ it in their Miraculous forms.

“You’re—” Bug starts, but the words die in his throat and he bites his lip, considering. It’s torturous and again, Cat is given too much time to think. His head is a swarm of conflicting thoughts and feelings—dread, excitement, relief, fear—all tangled up and competing for how he should properly react to Bug knowing who he is. And Bug’s face levels out, determination painting his features as he says, ”You’re—”

 _I’m not ready,_ Cat realizes, but it doesn’t matter.

“Keith Kogane.”

The world stops. There’s a ringing in Keith’s ears as his posture crumbles. He’s been found out; Ladybug knows. Keith Kogane is Cat Noir.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” Bug whispers.

Keith only nods.

“How?” he asks after several tense, silent seconds. “What did I do?”

“Cat—”

“Keith,” he corrects.

“It’s still not a good idea for us to speak our names—”

“Just for tonight. Just for tonight, you can say my name.”

Keith’s not sure when they got this close; Bug’s near enough to touch but this time, Keith wants to pull away. He didn’t realize his secret from Bug mattered so much to him, but now that he knows, Keith feels so exposed and naked his hands shake from it.

But still, if Ladybug knows who he is, he doesn’t want them to pretend otherwise.

“You can say my name,” Keith repeats. “We’re safe here.”

Bug sighs, but then concedes. “Keith.”  

It’s not the first time Bug has said his name, but it’s the first time he’s said it when Keith is really listening. Warmth gathers in his chest and there’s something familiar about the sweet way Bug says it. Something right. Keith smiles, despite himself.

“That’s actually...kind of nice,” Keith says, and Bug’s face goes red. “What’s wrong?”

Bug covers the bottom half of his face with his hand, but Keith can still clearly see his crimson ears. “Nothing. Sorry, I just...the reason I wanted to talk to you”—he pauses to take a deep breath like he’s preparing himself for battle—“is because I want you to know who I am, too.”

Keith’s chest squirms. For the last year, a day hasn’t gone by that Keith hasn’t wondered who Ladybug is and the prospect of finally knowing sends a shock of adrenaline through him.

Which is why it feels like he’s been doused in a bucket of ice water when he realizes he can’t let Bug do this.

“You can’t,” Keith says, shoulders slumping.

“Keith—”

“No. You still have your family to look after, and just because my secret’s out doesn’t mean yours has to be too.”

Bug shakes his head and takes Keith’s hand. Keith’s palm warms underneath his glove and some of the heat sneaks into his cheeks too.  

“That’s good of you, but I don’t want that, Keith. We’re partners. If I know who you are, then it’s only fair that you know who I am. I have to keep so many secrets from so many people and I think it’ll be nice to...to have _one_ I can share with someone. It’s not ideal, but I trust you, Cat. Keith.”

“Then why do you look like you’re about to throw up?” Keith asks, half-joking, but half-serious because Bug _does_ look like he’s about to be sick.

Bug squeezes Keith’s hand tighter and stares at his shoulder. “Promise you won’t be disappointed?”

“That’s what you’re worried about?”

Bug stills for a moment and then nods weakly.

Keith raises Bug’s hand and envelopes it between both of his, safe and warm. Bug looks at him.

“Literally impossible,” he says, his eyes never leaving Bug’s. It’s ludicrous. Keith knows Bug and just because he’s sans mask doesn’t mean he’ll be a different person.

Bug goes as red as his outfit, but doesn’t move away. This is what Keith loves about Bug—he may be scared, terrified even, but he never runs.

“Seriously,” Keith continues. “I’ve seen you save this city a hundred times. I know who you are, even if I don’t know what your real name is.”

Bug’s face transforms then, melts from tense nervousness into soft fondness. Smiling, he moves his free hand to his earlobe and takes his other from Keith, then backs away to make space for the transformation. “Tikki, spots off.”

It happens in slow motion—Keith has never seen the transformation on the outside before, but in this moment it feels torturously gradual. Keith’s heart is leaping into his throat and he’s not breathing because this is it. It’s happening.

Bug’s whole body glows with the transformation and for one blinding moment he’s just a silhouette of light in stark contrast to the backdrop of the night sky from their rooftop.

The transformation ebbs until...until there’s nothing left but—

But a boy with jeans and a forest green jacket. A boy with curly brown hair and freckles peppering his face. A boy with dark blue eyes that are so familiar to Keith that, really, he should have known all along.

Because Ladybug is Lance.

Of course, Ladybug is Lance. Now that he knows, it’s ridiculous that he didn’t guess. There’s no one else it could have been.

Keith’s eyes go wide as the dust settles. A small red Kwami appears and gasps as she takes in the situation, but Keith makes no mind of her. He’s too busy staring and Lance is too busy staring back.

Lance doesn’t look away but his expression is anxious, like at any moment Keith will release the guillotine’s blade on him.

And Keith can’t help it—he bursts out laughing. Loud, raucous laughter that makes his whole body tremble and threaten to bring him to his knees. It’s like a cord that’s been pulled as taut as it could go has severed within him and all that tension releases in a rush.

 _Lance_ is _Ladybug_.

Ladybug, who Cat Noir is hopelessly in love with. Lance, who, apparently, is in love with Keith. Keith, who just so happens to be Cat Noir.  

It’s too funny. Keith’s been so drowned in his seemingly tragic adoration when the entire time they’ve been in love with each other.

“Keith? Bud? I know this is kind of a shock but I’m having a hard time telling if this is a good or bad reaction,” Lance says, and Keith is so struck by the sound of his voice that is _so obviously_ Bug’s voice that he starts giggling all over again. “C’mon, man!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Keith says through a wheeze. “It’s just... _wow_.”

“Should have known, huh? You’re pretty different as Cat Noir, though.”

That sobers Keith right up as he’s struck with a hundred insecurities at once. Lance loves _Keith_ , not Cat Noir, but who is the real him? Lance didn’t love Cat Noir, so maybe, now that he knows, he won’t feel the same.

“Are _you_ disappointed? I know you—look, I found out you maybe liked me recently—”

“You _what_ —”

“I might have overheard your conversation with Hunk today—” Lance goes beet red and looks like he just might combust from embarrassment, but Keith continues in a rush.  “I’m sorry! It just kind of happened. But I want you to know that if me being Cat Noir changes how you feel about me then I understand and you can tell me—”

Keith stops when Lance comes in close again, his hands taking both of Keith’s. “Keith. Hey, no. No, I’m like...literally the furthest thing from disappointed.”

“You are?” Keith asks, quiet.

“Yeah,” Lance says and their faces are so close to each other now that Keith could start mapping out constellations in Lance’s freckles. “What about you? Could you—I mean, I know I’m Ladybug, but I’m also Lance and if that’s too much for you, I get it—”

This time, it’s Keith’s turn to interrupt Lance. He presses his forehead against Lance’s and doesn’t take his eyes off of his. “I told you the other night.”

“What?” Lance whispers, surprised.

“You’d be easy to fall in love with. I just didn’t realize _how_ easy.”

Keith can feel Lance’s face heat against his own. “You still…?”

“Mmhm. Maybe more than ever.” Which is true. Finally knowing has unlocked a whole well of affection within Keith that he didn’t know he had. He knew Ladybug, but now that he’s seeing the whole picture, he’s even more beautiful than he realized.

Lance’s hands tense within Keith’s, then break away to move up and rest on Keith’s chest. Lance lightly grabs at the black fabric there and Keith’s throat tightens.

“Me too,” Lance says, softer than a whisper. His eyes are lidded and Keith swallows, his throat constricting as his skin heats. Still, Keith’s hands slide easily to Lance’s hips.

“Lance,” Keith breathes, catching a glimpse of Lance’s lips.

Lance hums in delight. “Could get used to the sound of that.” And he leans in.

And could Keith be so lucky?

Apparently, he is. Lance’s lips press softly to his own and Keith’s eyes flutter shut. Arms wrap around the back of Keith’s neck as he circles his own around Lance’s waist and brings them flush together.

Keith’s heart swells and crashes with the tide of his affections, his whole body bursting with it. Lance is a dream against him—kissing him back just as feverently, holding him just as tightly.  

And it’s like, for once, the world has aligned perfectly. Like this is right and exactly what should be happening. It’s validating and cosmic and a whole host of adjectives Keith doesn’t have the vocabulary for.

Lance’s lips are soft and sweet against his own, if not a little hesitant, but they continue for so long that Keith feels dizzy. With some reluctance, they separate, but only just. Their arms are still wrapped around each other as their foreheads press together again.

Lance’s eyes remain closed, something like peace hidden away in the soft fall of his eyelids. Keith is mesmerized by all the details of his face. He sees so clearly where Lance and Ladybug match up. The perfect overlap is not just satisfying, but radiant in its entirety. Keith lets out a happy little sigh and when the breath hits Lance’s lips, they quirk into a sweet smile.

Lance opens his eyes and meets Keith’s again—blue and clear and honest—and now, finally, there are no more secrets between them.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end! Hope y'all enjoyed and if you liked this consider leavin' a little comment or supporting me at my twitter. Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Links: [Tumblr](http://parchmints.tumblr.com/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/parchmints) | [caard](https://parchmints.carrd.co/) | [my klance fics](https://archiveofourown.org/works?utf8=%E2%9C%93&commit=Sort+and+Filter&work_search%5Bsort_column%5D=revised_at&include_work_search%5Brelationship_ids%5D%5B%5D=276512&work_search%5Bother_tag_names%5D=&work_search%5Bexcluded_tag_names%5D=&work_search%5Bcrossover%5D=&work_search%5Bcomplete%5D=&work_search%5Bwords_from%5D=&work_search%5Bwords_to%5D=&work_search%5Bdate_from%5D=&work_search%5Bdate_to%5D=&work_search%5Bquery%5D=&work_search%5Blanguage_id%5D=&user_id=parchmints)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! There will be a continuation to this but it'll take me a couple months to get to it! 
> 
> Like always, please consider commenting as it is super encouraging and gives me lots of motivation!
> 
> Links: [Tumblr](http://parchmints.tumblr.com/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/parchmints) | [caard](https://parchmints.carrd.co/) | [my klance fics](https://archiveofourown.org/works?utf8=%E2%9C%93&commit=Sort+and+Filter&work_search%5Bsort_column%5D=revised_at&include_work_search%5Brelationship_ids%5D%5B%5D=276512&work_search%5Bother_tag_names%5D=&work_search%5Bexcluded_tag_names%5D=&work_search%5Bcrossover%5D=&work_search%5Bcomplete%5D=&work_search%5Bwords_from%5D=&work_search%5Bwords_to%5D=&work_search%5Bdate_from%5D=&work_search%5Bdate_to%5D=&work_search%5Bquery%5D=&work_search%5Blanguage_id%5D=&user_id=parchmints)


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